Many attempts have been made to improve the attractiveness of artificial lures used by sport fishermen so as to increase the likelihood of catching fish. Various top water or surface artificial lures have been developed, especially of the "buzzbait" type used primarily for bass, pike and muskie fishing.
The conventional "buzzbait" top water or surface lure typically consists of a substantially V-shaped vertically disposed wire bracket, to the upper leg of which is attached a wobble plate, spinner or propeller and to the second or lower leg of which is attached the lure body and the hook, together with a skirt or hackle of feathers or other live bait imitation to assist in the lifelike appearance of the lure. This type of lure operates most effectively when it is stable, i.e. does not roll over on its side, because while it remains upright the hook is in the best position to penetrate the roof of the mouth of a fish sampling the "bait". Another desirable feature of a "buzzbait" lure is the ability to move through the water slowly without sinking. If retrieved slowly, a lure tempts a catchable fish for a longer time and the fisherman needs to recast his line less often.
In the past the lure bodies used in "buzzbait" lures have been intentionally shaped to resemble various insects or fish and therefore have been shaped as teardrops, torpedoes, cylinders or spoons. Unfortunately, however, the hydrodynamics of these configurations result in somewhat unstable lure assemblies which tend to sway easily and which descend rapidly or uncontrollably at low retrieval speeds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,573 discloses a "buzzbait" lure having a torpedo-shaped body, the obvious tendency of which is to sink at slow speeds because of its mass being centered forward and distributed over a width relatively narrow in relation to the length of the lure body. What is needed, therefore, is a lure body decorated like an insect or other live bait but having a shape with better weight distribution and other hydrodynamic characteristics such that the assembly will have less of a tendency to turn on its side and will, at low retrieval speed, descend more slowly and predictably through the water.